(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display device and a manufacturing method thereof. More particularly, the present invention relates to a display device preventing a cell gap variation and a method of manufacturing the display device.
(b) Description of the Related Art
Liquid crystal displays (“LCDs”) are representative of flat panel displays that are used widely at present. The LCD includes two display panels each on which an electrode is formed, spacers with a distance therebetween, a cell gap between two display panels, a liquid crystal (“LC”) layer interposed within the cell gap, and a sealant sealing the panels and enclosing the LC layer therebetween. In the LCD, voltages are applied to the electrodes on the two panels to generate an electric field at the liquid crystal layer, and the strength of the electric field is controlled to control transmittance of light that passes through the liquid crystal layer, thus obtaining desired images.
However, since the LCD generally uses a glass substrate that is heavy and has a high risk of breakage, it is difficult to manufacture a large screen and to improve portability thereof.
Recently, flexible LCDs using a plastic substrate having a light weight, resistance to impact, and flexibility have been developed. Thus, when the plastic substrate instead of the glass substrate is used, portability, safety, weight decrease, etc., of the LCD are highly improved. However, the plastic substrate is bent or contracted by heat in manufacturing. By such characteristics of the plastic substrate, the cell gap is varied. With such variation of the cell gap, ball spacers between the panels freely move, and thereby alignment layers formed on the two panels are damaged such that image quality of the LCD decreases. In addition, column spacers are separated from the display panels.
When a physical pressure is applied to the flexible LCD, since the column spacers are flexible, a height difference between the column spacers occurs. Thereby, the cell gap varies over the LCD, and a luminance difference occurs at areas due to the cell gap variation such that image quality of the LCD decreases.